Cold-shrink articles are used in a variety of different applications such as, for example, splicing together lengths of wire or cable and protecting, sealing, and/or insulating substrates from adverse environmental conditions. Examples of industries that use cold-shrink articles include the automobile, aerospace, power, telecommunication, chemical, and defense industries.
A conventional cold-shrink article typically comprises a tubular member or other molded product that is capable of being expanded and mounted in an expanded state on a removable support core. The support core is typically hollow to allow the support core to be fed over a substrate. The support core is typically designed to collapse on demand and allow shrinkage of the cold-shrink article into contact with a substrate positioned inside the support core. For a given application, a cold-shrink article is typically selected that, when released from the core in the absence of a substrate, will shrink from the expanded state on the core to a relaxed state having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the intended substrate. When deployed on the substrate, such sizing prevents the cold-shrink article from fully relaxing from the expanded state, which ensures a snug engagement between the cold-shrink article and the substrate. Once the cold-shrink article is conveyed onto the substrate, the cold-shrink article remains in a partially expanded state over the life of its engagement with the substrate.
It is known to form cold-shrink articles from elastomeric compositions that include an elastomer to facilitate expansion and contraction of the article without breakage or cracking. Examples of known elastomers employed in cold-shrink articles include EPDM rubber or silicone rubber.